THE UNION Articles on
Sewage Spills
-- 2002-2004

Sewage spill at LWW, Union Staff, October 1, 2004
Sewage spill closes NU
, David Mirhadi, October 1, 2004
Sewage spill fouls creek
, Union Staff, September, 2004
Sewer fees to double at Cascade Shores
, Jamie Bate, January 31, 2004
Sewer rate relief sought
, Jamie Bate, December 17, 2003
Colfax fined; county sewer plants next?
, Jamie Bate, December 13, 2003
No study underway for Alta Sierra sewer
, Bill Nelson, December 11, 2003
Warning lifted at Deer Creek
, Dave Moller, October 17, 2003
Wolf Creek filth blamed on a switch
, Dave Moller, October 14, 2003
Raw sewage spills into Deer Creek
, Dave Moller, October 7, 2003
LWW sewage spill contained, Tim Omarzu, January 3, 2002


Briefs

The Union staff
October 1, 2004

Sewage spill at LWW

A 1,500-gallon sewage spill Tuesday at Lake Wildwood that entered Little Deer Creek posed no immediate danger to the lake or the creek, according to the Nevada County Department of Environmental Health.

A security guard noticed liquid surfacing from a manhole cover and responded to a blockage near Foxtail Road at approximately 8 p.m.

No further action was taken by the department.


Sewage spill closes NU

Sewer line block sends students home before noon

BY DAVID MIRHADI, davidm@theunion.com
October 1, 2004

Students at Nevada Union High School were sent home early Thursday after workers were forced to shut down a blocked sewer line near the campus' wrestling gymnasium.

About 2,000 gallons of sewage overflowed before workers shut plumbing to most of the campus shortly after 10 a.m. The sewage flowed into a storm drain and posed no health risks, according to the Nevada County Department of Environmental Health.

The problem was expected to be fixed Thursday night, and school is scheduled to resume today, Superintendent Maggie Deetz said.

Steve Frazier, the district's director of facilities, maintenance and operations, said the main sewer line problem across from the Ali Gymnasium could have been caused by a break in the 40-year-old clay pipe. He said workers tried unsuccessfully to fix the problem without initially shutting the system off, which caused the spill.

"If we can't shut down the bathrooms, we can't stop the flow," he said. "Without bathrooms, we can't have school."

Frazier said crews sent a remote camera down the sewer system to determine the cause of the break.

The blockage and ensuing spill forced administrators to send students home at 11:30 a.m. Administrators with the Nevada Joint Union High School District next to the high school on Ridge Road were also sent home, as the sewer system is shared by both the high school and the district's administrative office.

The sewer problem also forced Nevada Union administrators to cancel a "Senior Parent Night" Thursday for members of the class of 2005 and their parents.

The day was cut short as well for students at the Park Avenue Alternative Site, which shares the same bus routes as Nevada Union.

Because they were at school for at least four hours, Nevada Union students won't have to make up the day. Last year, students were forced to make up two days because of bomb threats made to the school.

Students who were in the area of the spill said they noticed a distinct stench as they dressed out for physical education classes.

"It was disgusting," said freshman Lacey Wilson, 15. "There was discolored water everywhere."

"I saw toilet paper everywhere. It was so gross," said her friend, Kimberly Billings, as she waited for a ride home. Two Roto-Rooter vans rolled into the parking lot as she spoke.

"It's not the coolest thing, but at least we got out of school," said junior Rickey Mullen, 17, as he walked to the student parking lot.

Parents were left messages by Principal Marty Mathiesen as soon as it was determined students would have to miss the remainder of school.

By noon, the high school was nearly deserted, with the exception of a few students and rubber-gloved plumbers snaking a camera down the old pipes.

Despite the mishap, Mathiesen said he and his staff were well-prepared for such an accident.

"It's communication, man," he said. "I'm very pleased with the way people reacted."


Sewage spill fouls creek

Residents should avoid Deer Creek for at least 7 days

The Union staff
September 8, 2004

Area residents are being asked to avoid Deer Creek downstream of Lake Wildwood for at least seven days after an estimated 10,000 gallons of partially treated sewage spilled into the creek Tuesday morning.

The spill occurred between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. at the Lake Wildwood Wastewater Treatment Plant, where a chlorine treatment unit failed, according to the Nevada County Department of Environmental Health.

Health department officials announced the spill via fax to local media outlets shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday. Employees of Wastewater/Sanitation District No. 1 familiar with the spill couldn't be reached for comment by The Union.

This is the third reported spill of sewage into western Nevada County creeks in less than a year. A clogged sewer main in October dumped 5,000 gallons of raw sewage into Deer Creek near Miner's Trail in Nevada City.

Less than a month earlier, the Grass Valley Wastewater Treatment plant discharged 700,000 gallons of nonchlorinated wastewater into Wolf Creek.


Sewer fees to double at Cascade Shores

Jamie Bate
January 31, 2004

Cascade Shores residents won't protest a nearly 100 percent increase in their sewer rates planned for Tuesday by the county supervisors.

The 83 homes hooked up to the Cascade Shores Wastewater Treatment Plant will see sewer bills jump from $910 a year to $1,795. The move is necessitated by new state and federal clean water standards that have to be met by 2006, even though the Cascade Shores plant was built in 1996.

The increase will finance operations, provide money for debt payments and bring in $50,000 annually to study how new permit requirements can be met.

Plant upgrades are estimated at $2.3 million, said Nevada County Supervisor Sue Horne, who has been leading the effort to secure federal funding for wastewater plant upgrades needed throughout the county. Supervisors act as the board of directors for each of the county's sewer districts.

Last August, the residents of Cascade Shores shot down a slightly larger fee increase using Proposition 218, which forces local governments to get majority approval in special districts before imposing taxes, fees and charges. Cascade Shores resident Lori Sheftal said this time around homeowners won't protest the increase.

"We want to move forward proactively," Sheftal said. "Personally, I feel we need to go after legislative measures."

And that is what Horne is pursuing. Nevada County will likely see $9 million to $10 million over several years from a larger water resources bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Doolittle. Under the bill, $25 million would be split between Nevada, Sierra, Plumas, Lassen and Butte counties based on population for various water projects, including wastewater.

Nevada County's share will go toward solving the Cascade Shores' problem and similar problems facing the wastewater treatment plants at Lake of the Pines and Lake Wildwood, Horne said. The federal funds will cover 75 percent of the cost of a project, with the county matching the balance.

Horne said the county will submit its list of priority projects to Doolittle in about a month.

"As far as the county is concerned, the most pressing concern is Cascade Shores," she said. "If approved, we'd have monies this time next year."

The increased sewer fees for Cascade Shore residents are needed to cover operations until then, Horne said. Sheftal, meanwhile, said it is difficult for many of her neighbors to pay $150-a-month sewer bills.

"The serious problem is for those who are elderly and on fixed incomes," she said.

The federal money identified for the county is essentially the first of its kind for wastewater treatment, but it will require patience, Horne said.

"We're certainly trying to do everything we can to bring some relief," she said. "We're talking about a congressional process that takes time."


Sewer rate relief sought

Cascade Shores treatment plant fees increase nearly 50 percent

Jamie Bate
December 17, 2003

While Cascade Shores residents are facing nearly 50 percent increases in their sewer rates, financial relief for them and possibly other county residents may be at hand.

On Tuesday, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved a work plan that includes a fee increase for the users of the Cascade Shores wastewater treatment plant from $910 a year to $1,795.

The increase is aimed at bringing the Cascade Shores plant, built in 1996, into compliance with new state and federal standards by 2006. It would help finance debt payments and provide $50,000 annually to study how new permit requirements can be met.

The options include plant upgrades and building a new plant, said Gordon Plantenga, the county's wastewater operations manager. The costs range from $750,000 to $1.5 million.

In August, the 83 residents of Cascade Shores shot down a slightly larger increase using Proposition 218, which forces local governments to get majority approval in special districts before imposing taxes, fees and charges. On Feb. 3, supervisors will vote on whether to approve the fee increase. That date would also allow for the 45-day notice required by Proposition 218 for the proposed increase.

If the increase is ultimately not approved - by the supervisors or residents - the plant would have only enough money in February to operate through the end of that month, Plantenga said.

He told the board on Tuesday that such a scenario could lead to the plant operating afoul of state requirements, resulting in "significant penalties."

In a subsequent interview, Plantenga said a group of Cascade Shores residents working with county staff on the situation was agreeable to the increase. He said that endorsement was communicated to other residents at a public meeting Dec. 8.

But, Plantenga said, "There still is a potential for a majority protest to happen."

Meanwhile, Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sue Horne said money from a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Doolittle could help alleviate the Cascade Shores problem and similar problems facing the wastewater treatment plants at Lake of the Pines and Lake Wildwood.

Under Doolittle's bill, $25 million would be split between Nevada, Sierra, Plumas, Lassen and Butte counties for various water projects, including wastewater, Horne said. If all goes as planned, Horne said, each county will submit its priority projects to the federal government in February or March. In October or December Congress would appropriate funding and in January 2005, the counties would receive funding.

Horne said Doolittle wants the counties to be in agreement on which projects to move first.

"I think we really need to push Cascade Shores at this point because we have a dire need there," Horne said.


Colfax fined; county sewer plants next?

Jamie Bate
December 13, 2003

The city of Colfax's sewer saga could well be a cautionary example for Nevada County.

Last week, the tiny town of less than a square mile and about 1,600 people just east of the Nevada County line was penalized about $350,000 by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board for a myriad of wastewater permit violations spanning several years.

The state's civil liability order requires Colfax to put the money toward $5 million to $6 million in improvements for its 25-year-old wastewater treatment plant, so the community can meet new federal discharge requirements by June 2006.

"It's going to be doable, but it's going to be extremely tight," Colfax City Manager Bob Perrault said. "We're a small town and, with a project of this magnitude, it's going to be tough.

"We don't have a very big customer base to spread that around," he said.

In response to the city's sewer problem, the Colfax City Council on Tuesday approved a 15 percent increase in sewer rates. The move increases a customer's bill from $25.46 per dwelling unit per month to $29.28.

The bulk of money for the mandated improvements likely will come from a combination of grants, low-interest loans and bond financing "that will ultimately be paid by rate payers," Perrault said.

Increased discharge requirements are not just affecting Colfax. Nevada County, Grass Valley and Nevada City have faced or are facing tens of millions of dollars in spending to bring their plants into compliance with state regulations.

According to an advisory committee that makes recommendations to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors, which acts as the board of directors for Nevada County Sanitation District 1, the new regulations could cost $26 million over the next five years.

The wastewater plant in the Lake of the Pines area, which the county operates, needs about $7 million in upgrades. Likewise, the price tag for improvements at the county-operated plant at Lake Wildwood is about $5 million.

Another wastewater treatment system operated by the county is in Cascade Shores. That plant, which serves about 77 homes, also needs millions of dollars worth of upgrades. But in August, facing ever-increasing annual sewer fees of $1,922 per home, residents gathered enough votes under Proposition 218 to derail the increase. Part of the increase would have gone to bring the Cascade Shores plant into compliance. Without it, the county is scrambling for ways to avoid penalties after the 2006 deadline.

Cascade Shores, said Peter Van Zant, that area's elected supervisor, was hit by "the perfect storm" that combined older facilities, more stringent discharge requirements and a small resident base.

The county operates and maintains the wastewater plants that serve nine communities in the unincorporated part of the county through local assessment zones.

"The county isn't the owner of them," Van Zant said. "A lot of folks think we are. The systems are owned by the people who are hooked up to them."

Nevada City and Grass Valley do own and operate their sewage plants. Nevada City must spend between $2 million to $4 million on upgrades to its plant that must be completed by April 1, 2007. After a 10-year period in which Grass Valley spent about $20 million to upgrade its plant, the city is again facing increased costs to meet new discharge requirements.


No study underway for Alta Sierra sewer

Bill Nelson
December 11, 2003

While Nevada County sorely needs to plan on how to dispose of its wastewater in the future to prevent damage to our environment, there is no study underway to put sewer lines in Alta Sierra.

There is a study planned to determine the environmental impact of sewer lines being put to the Lake of the Pines/Higgins Corner and Alta Sierra areas. This study will be funded by the federal government, is based on the population densities in the 1995 General Plan, and should provide important information on protecting our environment in South County.

Based on these facts, the Advisory Committee to the Sanitation District voted unanimously to conduct the study. Lake of the Pines, Cascade Shores, Lake Wildwood, Grass Valley, and Nevada City are all under state mandate to make costly upgrades to their wastewater treatment plants in the next few years. Hookup to the Lincoln plant is merely one of the options that the Lake of the Pines Treatment Plant is considering in reducing upgrade costs to their customers.

Alta Sierra should be more concerned about the effect of AB 885 on their septic systems.

Bill Nelson
Chairman, Advisory Committee
Lake of the Pines


Warning lifted at Deer Creek

Officials call off alert after water tested as safe

Dave Moller, davem@theunion.com
October 17, 2003

Nevada County and Nevada City officials called off the health warning for Deer Creek Thursday after tests showed the creek was safe for visitors again.

Nevada County issued the warning after a sewer main backed up Oct. 4, causing raw sewage to spill into the creek near where it flows under the Golden City Freeway.

Officials also said they are researching ways to deal with waste from the county jail, which may have contributed to the sewer backup.

Nevada City Public Works Director Verne Taylor said the creek alert was off after water test readings for coliform and fecal coliform bacteria came in under the state danger threshold. Nevada County Environmental Health Department Specialist Grant Eisen verified the alert was over.

Taylor said his original estimate of 5,000 gallons of sewage spilling into the creek "was probably overzealous." Taylor said coliform levels may have been over the danger mark the day of the spill but were below on three testing days the following week. Two weeks later, "the creek is incredibly clean," Taylor said.

>Taylor said he and City Manager Mark Miller recently met with Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal and General Services Director Rich Reader to see if they could find ways to decrease jail waste discharged into the system.

Royal said his staff and Reader's are looking into using grinders to help break down candy and food wrappers inmates are currently flushing down their toilets. Inmates in individual cells flush the wrappers because they are not issued trash cans for safety and security reasons, Royal said.

Inmates in California's county jails and prisons have been known to make weapons out of just about any loose material in cells, including plastic spoons, toothbrushes and metal pieces from bunks, chairs and tables.

Royal said there currently are spikes in the jail's sewer system designed to block large objects, but smaller things get through.


Wolf Creek filth blamed on a switch

Dave Moller, davem@theunion.com
October 14, 2003

A discharge of wastewater into Wolf Creek, which created dangerous levels of fecal coliform 10 times above the health standard, occurred partly because an alarm system was disconnected.

That will be the bad news before the Grass Valley City Council tonight when a report of the Sept. 19 mistake is discussed. Although no fish kills or sickness occurred, the 11-hour discharge of up to 700,000 gallons of unchlorinated wastewater alarmed area residents and City Councilman Steve Enos.

The discharge at the city's wastewater treatment plant on Freeman Lane "was human-caused," Enos said. "It could have been avoided" if a worker had reconnected the alarm after it was disconnected, and a chlorine tank valve had not malfunctioned.

"The spill itself is not a good thing," Enos said. "But from this we can focus some long-needed attention on Wolf Creek. It's been neglected forever."

Enos wants to pursue grant money from the state Urban Streams Restoration Program to improve the watershed and open it up for recreation and perhaps even commercial interests. The city's general plan already calls for restoration of the creek with a pathway beside it, Enos said. Under the program, the City of Auburn is currently restoring 600 feet of Lincoln Creek through the center of town with pathways and an amphitheater.

At tonight's meeting, the council needs to deal with two main issues, Enos said. The first is how to avoid future discharge mistakes at the treatment plant. The second is to come up with a way to alert the public in a more timely manner after such a mistake.

That is also a concern for creek area resident Jon Shilling.

"My daughter plays in Wolf Creek," and was doing so after the discharge and before it became public knowledge, Shilling said.

According to the report for tonight's meeting, the city notified the county, which is obligated by state law to notify the media. The Union was notified with a recorded telephone message when the discharge was realized Saturday, Sept. 20, but no one was on duty in the newsroom.

It was not heard until the editor listened to his messages Sunday, Sept. 21. Although a warning to stay out of Wolf Creek was posted online Sunday afternoon on
www.TheUnion.com, it did not get into the print version of the newspaper until Monday, Sept. 22 - 48 hours after the discharge was discovered.

The report recommends the city bypass the county and go directly to the media regarding future events that threaten public safety.

Many area residents could cross Wolf Creek several times a day and not even know it. Meandering out of the Loma Rica Ranch property underneath Brunswick Road, the stream flows parallel to Idaho-Maryland Road and then through the city's industrial section, hidden by blackberry thickets and other vegetation.

The creek then ducks under the Golden Center Freeway and comes out between the highway and a row of Main Street downtown homes near the Grass Valley post office. At the site where the new Holiday Inn will be, the creek goes under concrete again, re-emerging behind Safeway, where it runs into a wider stream bed.

From there it flows under Highway 20 to the North Star Mine Museum-Glen Jones Park area, and then past the sewage treatment plant along Allison Ranch Road and out into southern Nevada County. It is from the Safeway area to the mine museum where Friends of Wolf Creek sees a lot of potential.

"It's quite accessible and quite lovely," said Friends spokesman Jonathan Keehn. "I've seen great blue herons standing in the water fishing there."

Keehn said the recent discharge was "a wake-up call that we have a creek running through town ...The more people are aware of it, the more people will take care of it."


Raw sewage spills into Deer Creek

Water to be avoided as authorities test contamination levels

Dave Moller, davem@theunion.com
October 7, 2003

A raw sewage spill has led authorities to warn area residents away from Deer Creek until at least the end of next week.

Nevada County Environmental Health Department spokesman Kurt Zumwalt said a sewer main plugged up at 10:30 a.m. Saturday near the Miner's Trail in Nevada City. The city had the site cleaned up and repaired by 12:30 p.m., but 5,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the creek, Zumwalt said.

Test samples of the creek have been sent off for evaluation and will not be ready until about Oct. 17, Zumwalt said. The advisory will be lifted only when test results show the creek is clean again.

Raw sewage can contain a variety of disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli, which can cause abdominal cramping, nausea and, in rare cases, kidney failure.

Makeshift signs reading, "Raw Sewage Spill, Keep Out," were put along the trail over the weekend to warn passersby. The signs were about 100 yards from Broad Street, parallel with the creek and the Golden Center Freeway access ramp for downtown Nevada City.

The spill marked the second time in less than a month a local creek was placed off limits by the environmental health department. On Sept. 19, the Grass Valley Wastewater Treatment plant discharged 700,000 gallons of nonchlorinated wastewater into Wolf Creek.

That caused a warning to stay out of the creek that lasted eight days. The spill occurred because a chlorine tank valve failed and the chemical could not get into the wastewater routed into Wolf Creek.

That discharge released 10 times the danger level for fecal coliform bacteria that live in feces and can cause illness. Chlorine is used to kill fecal coliform and other bacteria.


LWW sewage spill contained

By Tim Omarzu
January 3, 2002


About 150 gallons of raw sewage spilled from a broken underground pipe at Lake Wildwood, and some of it went into the lake, but officials said Wednesday they didn't think the spill posed a risk.

"We don't believe there's a health risk," said David Presta, a Nevada County environmental specialist who inspected the spill, which was reported about noon Wednesday by the Nevada County Department of Sanitation.

The spill came from a broken sewer main in the 18000 block of Wildflower Drive. Sewage flowed about 12 feet into a storm drain that empties into the lake.

Heavy rains helped dilute the sewage spill, Presta said.

Sanitation workers are taking a water sample where the storm drain empties into the lake, but "we don't expect to find high amounts of bacteria," Presta said.

Sanitation workers stopped the flow of sewage from the broken pipe by diverting it through another line, he said.


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